The St Monica Trust’s Centre of Innovation recently hosted an international study visit showcasing The Chocolate Quarter in Keynsham.
The study visit was an opportunity to share the Trust’s research around place shaping and showcase how housing, care, community, innovation and research come together within a real-world setting.
The event was attended by researchers, policymakers, health and care leaders, and innovation practitioners from Japan, Australia and Malta, as well as from across the United Kingdom.
The delegation included Dr Mikiko Oono, Special Research Fellow, Institute of Science Tokyo; Sonya Smart, CEO, VMCH; Reuben Mifsud, Honorary Consul for Malta in Wales, Tasika Ltd; and Professor Wendy Dearing, Centre for Social Innovation, University of Wales Trinity St David.
Delegates having a tour of Millstream - the latest addition to The Chocolate Quarter.
Place shaping: a blueprint for retirement living
The term ‘place shaping’ was coined by the St Monica Trust to reflect the charity’s ambition to move away from designing traditional retirement living spaces and instead focus on working with our residents to design vibrant, multi-generational communities.
Chief Executive of the St Monica Trust, David Williams said: “It was a great honour to introduce the St Monica Trust and the philosophy of place shaping to an international audience, and showcase The Chocolate Quarter and its residents as a potential blueprint for the future of retirement living.”
“As an organisation, we want to experiment, challenge established thinking, share learning and develop networks with potential partners.
"That’s why we were so excited to be hosting this international study visit, which we hope the St Monica Trust will get as much out of as the visiting delegates.”
The Trust's Resident Innovators taking notes during a workshop.
Resident Innovators
Following a tour of The Chocolate Quarter and Charterhouse Care Home, a series of workshops were held featuring discussions between delegates and St Monica Trust resident innovators and colleagues, and research activity led by Professor Mikiko Oono and her colleagues from Japan.
Dr Mikiko Oono, who spent time talking to some of the Trust’s Resident Innovators who had lived and worked in Japan, said: “What impressed me most at The Chocolate Quarter was seeing how genuinely happy and engaged the residents seemed in their everyday lives.
“I was also struck by how thoughtfully the private and shared spaces are designed, allowing residents to maintain their privacy while also developing a strong sense of belonging to the wider community.
“From a public health perspective, the visit was a powerful reminder that supporting people as they age is not only about care and safety, but also about autonomy, social connection, participation, and belonging.
“The Chocolate Quarter felt less like a traditional care setting and more like an extended family and community in which residents are truly at the centre.”
Resident Innovator, Michael - who lived in Japan for two years while working on a reactor pressure vessel for a nuclear power station - exchanging business cards with Dr Oono.
"Mini United Nations"
The St Monica Trust’s Head of Innovation Delivery, Sean Davey said: “It was incredibly exciting to bring together such a vast array of expertise from around the world and play host to a mini United Nations for care, technology, innovation and ageing at The Chocolate Quarter.
“The insight provided by our resident innovators at the workshops, will be invaluable in informing future collaborations and potential research themes to explore with our international and UK-based partners.
“On behalf of the St Monica Trust, I would like to thank everyone who attended and contributed to what was such a highly successful and thought-provoking day.”
To discover more about place shaping and download a copy of ‘A Blueprint for Retirement Living’, please go to www.placeshaping.org.uk.